Coastal Creatives: Where Art and Community Meet on the Kāpiti Coast
By Tony Cutting
The Kāpiti Coast has always attracted people seeking something different. Drawn by expansive beaches, rolling hills, and spectacular sunsets, generations have found inspiration in this unique corner of New Zealand. For many, that inspiration has found expression through art.
Today, that creative spirit is flourishing through Coastal Creatives, a collective of artists who live and work throughout the Kāpiti Coast and who have come together to showcase the extraordinary talent thriving within their community.
Step into the Coastal Creatives gallery and you immediately sense that this is more than a place to buy art. It is a gathering of stories, perspectives, and creative journeys. The walls, shelves, and display spaces are filled with works that reflect the character of the coast itself—vibrant, diverse, and deeply connected to the natural environment.
What makes Coastal Creatives particularly special is its collaborative foundation. Rather than working in isolation, the artists have chosen to create a shared platform where creativity can flourish through connection. The collective brings together painters, photographers, ceramic artists, jewellers, sculptors, textile artists, and makers whose individual talents combine to create a rich and engaging artistic experience.
The Artists
Donna Clarke
Elisabeth Vullings
Jenny Siaosi
Hamish Macaulay
Karolina Stus
Brett & Christine Keno (Keno Sculpture)
Rebecca Bond
Sandy Seymour
Sarah Pou
Studio Reset
Tania Dally
Donna Clarke
Donna is an Oamaru stone artist based on the Kapiti Coast she regularly runs workshops for others interested in learning how to sculpture.
Elisabeth Vullings
Elisabeth’s work embodies the technical drawing skills, discipline and critical thinking gained through her studies, with a sensitivity to colour, texture and materials reminiscent of her childhood.
Elisabeth works from her home-based studio on the Kāpiti Coast, where she lives with her husband Rory, two children, Charlie and Maata, and Tofu the dog.
Jenny Siaosi
Jenny creates images that draw you in with a storytelling, emotive quality. She has been photographing for about 15 years, an accredited Master of Photography with the NZIPP and a proud member of AIPA..
Hamish Macaulay
Hamish is an award-winning printmaker and painter based in Kāpiti, New Zealand. He returned home to Aotearoa NZ in 2021, after 14 years living in London. Hamish’s repertoire spans conceptual abstracts to figurative landscapes and seascapes, with a deep love of nature and his surroundings anchoring his creative vision.
Karolina Stus
Karolina. a Polish-born, Kapiti Coast based, award-winning photographer and visual artist. Her creative practice blends photography with handcrafted materials such as wood, encaustic wax, ceramics, and natural dyes to explore themes of identity, transformation, and human connection.
Brett & Christine Keno (Keno Sculpture)
Brett & Christine Keno carve Ōamaru limestone into sculptures that carry the stories of the people they're made for, from intimate memorials to pieces that live in homes and gardens across the world.
Rebecca Bond
Rebecca creates unique, contemporary handmade jewellery. Rebecca works with precious metals (silver/gold) and precious stones to create individual, stand-out jewellery for people who like to be original.
Sandy Seymour
Sandy creates small batch ceramic pieces in a studio on the Kapiti Coast. Everything has been handcrafted from the creation of the wheel to the final glaze firing. Her pieces are organic and rustic, with a natural vibe that brings great joy to her clients and followers.
Sarah Pou
Kapiti Coast-based Sarah loves creating urban scenes that celebrate New Zealand's unique historical architecture and ever-changing modern culture. You will love her Wellington iconic street scenes and the ever-popular pieces depicting Wellington's famous hills and houses.
Studio Reset
Studio Reset is a full-time encaustic artist working out of her rural home studio on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand.
You will find Studio Reset’s work ethereal, contemporary, and nostalgic, taking you back in time.
Tania Dally
Tania Dally is a New Zealand artist whose work is inspired by the natural world and the opportunity it offers to return to stillness - a quiet coming home to oneself. Working from her boat shed studio on Raumati Beach, she creates paintings that explore memory, presence and a deep longing to reconnect with that sense of inner calm.
Coastal Creatives Gallery cont...
"We wanted to create a space that celebrated local creativity while making art accessible and welcoming to everyone," says one member of the collective. "The Kāpiti Coast has an incredible artistic community, and Coastal Creatives gives us an opportunity to share that with both locals and visitors."
That sense of accessibility is central to the collective's appeal. Visitors are not simply viewing artwork from a distance—they are often meeting the artists themselves. Conversations about inspiration, technique, and creative process happen naturally, creating connections that traditional galleries sometimes struggle to achieve.
The result is an experience that feels personal and authentic. Buyers gain a deeper appreciation of the work they take home, while artists have the opportunity to share the stories behind their creations directly with the people who value them.
The collective also reflects a broader trend that has helped establish the Kāpiti Coast as one of New Zealand's most dynamic creative regions. Events such as the Kāpiti Coast Art Trail have showcased the remarkable depth of local talent for decades, attracting thousands of visitors each year. Coastal Creatives builds on that legacy, providing a permanent destination where creativity can be discovered year-round.
For many artists, living on the Kāpiti Coast is inseparable from their creative practice. The region's natural beauty, strong community spirit, and relaxed lifestyle provide fertile ground for artistic exploration. Whether inspired by the coastline, local wildlife, Māori heritage, or the changing seasons, the artists of Coastal Creatives draw deeply from the place they call home.
As the collective continues to grow, so too does its contribution to the region's cultural life. Through exhibitions, community engagement, and opportunities for emerging artists, Coastal Creatives is helping to strengthen the creative ecosystem that makes the Kāpiti Coast such a distinctive place to live and visit.
In a world increasingly dominated by mass production and digital experiences, Coastal Creatives offers something refreshingly human: genuine creativity, meaningful connection, and artwork shaped by the hands and hearts of local people.
For anyone seeking to experience the artistic soul of the Kāpiti Coast, Coastal Creatives provides an open door into a community where imagination, craftsmanship, and collaboration continue to thrive.
The collective is more than a gallery. It is a celebration of place, creativity, and the enduring power of artists to bring communities together.
Why not visit them this weekend?
Coastal Creatives
Coastlands
Paraparaumu
Wellington - NZ
Article by Tony Cutting for Tony Cutting Digital & Kapiti Now
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